Children sharing pornography at school
More than 100 students aged 10 to 12 from at least two elementary schools in Candiac shared pornographic images within a Snapchat group, ici.radio-canada.ca reported.
The application requires users to be at least 13 years old to create an account. The Régie intermunicipale de police Roussillon was asked by two Candiac elementary schools to intervene.
Police evaluate potential interventions without formal complaints
Media relations officer Vicky Côté indicated that the police service was unable to confirm the nature or origin of the images, the possible use of artificial intelligence, or whether the young people consented to receiving this content. The police service emphasized that it has not received a formal complaint regarding these events, and no criminal investigation is underway.
Interventions could still be necessary, including individual meetings with police officers and the involvement of parents. Each situation is evaluated based on reported facts and the needs of the young people involved, according to email exchanges cited by ici.radio-canada.ca.
The Centre de services scolaire des Grandes-Seigneuries stated that it sent an initial communication to parents of 5th and 6th-grade students during the week of October 26 to notify them of the situation. The center invited parents to discuss the subject with their children using shared informative tools.
Specialized education technicians and teachers also addressed the topic with 6th-grade classes to raise student awareness. The Régie intermunicipale de police du Roussillon produced a video on digital usage and plans to advance classroom prevention workshops originally scheduled for the spring.
Concerns over disappearing messages
Carolanne Campeau, a lecturer at the Université de Sherbrooke and advisor for the PAUSE ton écran initiative, expressed concern over the incident because Snapchat content disappears and the risks are harder to identify. Certain discussions and content exchanges can happen without parents being aware, Campeau stated according to ici.radio-canada.ca.
She maintained that disappearing messages can create a false sense of security and indirectly encourage the sharing of inappropriate content. This is especially concerning given that Snapchat remains one of the most popular social networks among young people.
Campeau questioned whether young people can access disappearing content, noted ignored reports, and addressed default location sharing. She criticized what she considers a lack of responsibility from the company, noting that Snapchat asks parents to manage risks in an environment the company designed and has the power to make safer.
Campeau recommended that parents use the application to understand it, check settings, and disable features such as contact with strangers and live location. She also noted that past legal attempts to hold Snapchat accountable have consistently ended in out-of-court settlements.
Platform safety reports
On its website, Snapchat stated that it received more than 750,000 user reports for potential cases of child sexual exploitation involving minors in 2025. The company targeted potential sextortion content, online psychological manipulation, and child sexual abuse material.
Snapchat did not respond to requests for information regarding the incident.
